An Introduction to Rehab!

We know. We know! You're all wondering what rehab is like!!! We were too -- it's been a very full couple of days for Thomas and Natalie as they settle into a whole new routine. Natalie sent us an update yesterday, and it's just chock full of awesome information.  Rehab is good. But it's hard too.

Here's what she reports:

• Thomas has an extensive team of specialists, therapists, and doctors who are committed to him and his case. Other than a rotation of nurses, the rest of his team, at large, will be consistent.  They will get to know each other and can best evaluate progress and his needs.
  
• His days start at 6:30 am with breakfast. Every day he is given a printed hourly schedule and from this they move him through his day, one type of therapy session to another, until about 4:00pm! There are no sessions on weekends, though Thomas is hoping he'll be able to do some "work" on Saturdays as well. Some sessions are in his room and others are in the main gym.
  
• Unlike at the hospital, he has his own of everything, meaning, his own wheelchair fitted to him, etc. It saves a lot of time that they aren't constantly starting over every day.   

Thom's progress thus far:

• During his first evaluation with his primary doctor, we learned that, while Thomas' fracture is C-5, his injury is actually considered / classified as a C-6.  This score has to do with a whole lot of factors, but basically Thomas has sensation and function below the C-5 level and consistent with C-6. So that's cool!

• His first morning in rehab he was taken off trach collar completely, which means he is receiving no oxygen from an outside source. He is no longer attached to anything whatsoever!  Perhaps this should have been the first bullet, because it's downright amazing to see! 

• Equally amazing, Thomas wears his speaking valve all day long and only takes it off to sleep! Awesome! With ease he is able to communicate all of his needs, ask questions, and be very involved in his therapy sessions.

• His secretions are almost completely gone! He said it's totally unreal. All the pain, and struggle, and work he had to do weeks ago to just be able to breath, and now it's nearly all gone. (Natalie writes: "I count this among our miracles :)  He is so happy!")

• Upcoming, they will downsize his trach and will start putting a "block" on it for short periods of time.  Once the "block" can be tolerated for a full day, the trach can come out. The "block" forces Thom's airflow to only be through his mouth and nose, like we all breathe, weaning him off the trach. (A fun side note, the doctor who will be working on this has a 100% success rate in getting patients off trach support. Thomas is in good hands!)

• He passed his swallow evaluation in 5 minutes flat! He no longer has any restrictions whatsoever! The first thing he asked for was a Dr. Pepper :)  His appetite is finally back and he is eating great! He said the food is actually really good. They get the week's menus in advance and Natalie helps him pick all his meals. (Your RB is thrilled to report that they use some local and organic ingredients - a big improvement from the hospital's offerings.)

• His pain is still under control, in fact, they were able to wean him off a little bit.  He gets a little neck pain from time to time, but it's really more sore muscles from working hard - and that's a good kind of pain!  

• And speaking of his neck, he can move it a lot more to look around.  It's still stiff from the surgery, but some movement / flexibility coming back - and they expect much more as the weeks go on.

• He has a cool strap for his hand to help him feed himself - he's getting pretty good at it, with a little assistance. It's a lot of work though, so his meals mostly have to be fed to him still. But he's practicing. He can also hold his own cup, or small bottle, and bring it up to his mouth for a sip. His arms are considerably stronger even in the last 3 days...he can even make the sign of the cross once again - something he's been working hard at! 

 

We'll be updating every other day, now -- giving some insight into the different exercises Thomas is doing, etc. Let us know if you have any questions! And thanks, as always, for your support!

PLEASE NOTE: Thomas does have a roommate, and his room is very small, so please do not send gifts, flowers, balloons, etc. There simply isn't room for it all. Cards are welcome, as always, and can be sent to the National Organization for Marriage at the address listed at the bottom of this page.

Join us in prayer!